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Matthew 12:39
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He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But hee answered, and said to them, An euill and adulterous generation seeketh after a signe, and there shall no signe be giuen to it, but the signe of the Prophet Ionas.
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign; and so no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
Jesus answered, "Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle for a sign. But no sign will be given to them, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But He replied and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation [that is morally unfaithful to God] craves and demands a [miraculous] sign; but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah;
But he answered and said to them, An euill and adulterous generation seeketh a signe, but no signe shall be giuen vnto it, saue that signe of the Prophet Ionas.
But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation eagerly seeks for a sign; and yet no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet;
Jesus replied, "A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But Jesus replied: You want a sign because you are evil and won't believe! But the only sign you will get is the sign of the prophet Jonah.
He replied, "A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign? No! None will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Yonah.
But he, answering, said to them, A wicked and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it save the sign of Jonas the prophet.
Jesus answered, "Evil and sinful people are the ones who want to see a miracle as a sign. But no miracle will be done to prove anything to them. The only sign will be the miracle that happened to the prophet Jonah.
But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation wants a sign; and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
"How evil and godless are the people of this day!" Jesus exclaimed. "You ask me for a miracle? No! The only miracle you will be given is the miracle of the prophet Jonah.
But he answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation desires a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah!
But answering, He said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:
But he, answering, said to them, An evil and false generation is looking for a sign; and no sign will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah:
But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will no sign be given it but the sign of Yonah, the prophet.
But he replied to them, "An evil and adulterous generation craves a sign. Yet no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.Isaiah 57:3; Matthew 16:4; Mark 8:38; John 4:48;">[xr]
But he answered them and said, A generation depraved and adulterous requireth a sign; but a sign shall not be given to it, but the sign of Jaunon the prophet;
But he replied and said to them: A wicked and adulterous generation demandeth a sign: but a sign will not be given to it, unless it be the sign of Jonah the prophet.
But he aunswered and sayde to them. The euyll and adulterous generation seketh a signe, and there shall no signe be geuen to it, but the signe of the prophete Ionas.
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:
But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah, the prophet.
And he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.
"Wicked and faithless generation!" He replied, "they clamour for a sign, but none shall be given to them except the sign of the Prophet Jonah.
Which answeride, and seide to hem, An yuel kynrede and a spouse brekere sekith a tokene, and a tokene shal not be youun to it, but the tokene of Jonas, the prophete.
But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet:
But he answered and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh for a sign, and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But He answered and said to them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But Jesus replied, "Only an evil, adulterous generation would demand a miraculous sign; but the only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
But, he, answering, said unto them, A wicked and adulterous generation, a sign, doth seek, and, a sign, will not be, given, it, save the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Who answering said to them: An evil and adulterous generation seeketh a sign: and a sign shall not be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.
But he answered them, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.
He answered and sayde to the: The evyll and advoutrous generacio seketh a signe but ther shall no signe be geve to the saue the signe of the Prophete Ionas.
And he answering said to them, `A generation, evil and adulterous, doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet;
And he answered and saide vnto the: This euell and aduouterous generacion seketh a token: and there shal no token be geuen the, but the token of the prophete Ionas.
but he answered them, this wicked degenerate race demand a miracle; but no other miracle shall they have, except that of the prophet Jonas.
Jesus said, "You're looking for proof, but you're looking for the wrong kind. All you want is something to titillate your curiosity, satisfy your lust for miracles. The only proof you're going to get is what looks like the absence of proof: Jonah-evidence. Like Jonah, three days and nights in the fish's belly, the Son of Man will be gone three days and nights in a deep grave.
He answered them, "Only wicked folks who don't believe ask for proof of who I am. The only miracle you will see is the same one that happened to the great godly cowboy Jonah.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
adulterous: Isaiah 57:3, Mark 8:38, James 4:4
no sign: Matthew 16:4, Luke 11:29, Luke 11:30
Reciprocal: Exodus 7:9 - Show 2 Kings 14:25 - Jonah Jeremiah 7:29 - generation Jonah 1:1 - Jonah Matthew 12:41 - this Matthew 16:1 - a sign Mark 8:12 - There Mark 10:34 - and the Luke 9:41 - perverse Luke 11:16 - General John 6:30 - What Romans 2:22 - adultery 1 Corinthians 1:22 - the Jews
Gill's Notes on the Bible
But he answered and said unto them,.... Not to the Pharisees, who were unworthy of an answer from him; having, in such an imperious manner, and with a sole view to tempt him, and after such miracles were wrought by him, required of him a sign from heaven; but to the multitude, the throng of people gathered thick together on this occasion, see Matthew 12:45 he turns himself from the Scribes and Pharisees, to the common people, and says to them concerning the former,
an evil and adulterous generation; not only in a spiritual sense, being degenerated from the faith, religion, and piety of their ancestors; but literally, which appeared not only in their polygamy, and frequent divorces on trivial occasions, but by criminal conversation with other women; see John 8:9 and this, with the Jews themselves, is a character of the generation in which the Messiah comes: for they say h,
"that just when the Messiah comes, or in the age the son of David comes, "impudence shall be increased", corn and wine shall be dear, the government shall be heretics, ××× ×ת
××ת ×××¢× ××××, "and the synagogue shall become a brothel house".''
Their meaning is, that the chief magistrates should be Sadducees, and those that pretended to religion and holiness would be adulterers, which was now the case. Their writings i frequently speak of the increase and abounding of adulteries, under the second temple, and about this time; which obliged Jochanan ben Zaccai and the sanhedrim, to leave off the use of the bitter waters.
Seeketh after a sign; this is perfectly Talmudic language, the language of the Jews k.
"The disciples of R. Jose ben Kismai, asked him, when the Son of David came? He replied, I am afraid, lest ××× × ××ת
ת×קש×, "ye should seek of me a sign"; they say unto him, we will not "seek of thee a sign".''
This the Jews sought of Christ, time after time; not content with one, sought another, though such wonderful ones were wrought, which most fully demonstrated him to be the Messiah; and therefore he would not indulge this temper in them; but declared, that
there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. Not that no miracles should afterwards be wrought amongst them; for, after this, many wondrous works were done by Christ; but no such signs should be given they desired, not one from heaven; but one particularly should be given them, out of the earth, and should be, not for their conviction, but condemnation; and would seem very much like that which was done to the prophet Jonas, or Jonah; for so is his name in the Hebrew language, the other being the Greek termination of it.
h Misn. Sota c. 9. sect. 15. T. Bab. Sanhed. fol. 97. 1. i Misn. Sota, c. 9. sect. 9. & Maimon. Hilch. Sota, c. 3. sect. 19. k T. Bab. Sanhedrim, fol. 98. 1. so ××קש ס×××, "seeketh a sign", Shemot Rabba, Parash. 9. fol. 97. 2.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
We would see a sign from thee - See Luke 11:16, Luke 11:29-32. A âsignâ commonly signifies a miracle - that is, a sign that God was with the person or had sent him. Compare the notes at Isaiah 7:11. Luke adds that this was done âtempting him;â that is, trying him, doubting if he had the power to do it. If these persons had been present with him for any considerable time, they had already seen sufficient proofs that he was what he claimed to be. They might have been, however, those who had recently come, and then the emphasis must be laid on âweâ - we, as well as the others, would see a proof that thou art the Christ. In either case it was a temptation. If they had not seen him work a miracle, yet they should have believed it by testimony. Compare John 20:29. Perhaps, however, the emphasis is to be laid on the words âfrom heaven.â They might profess not to doubt that his miracles were real, but they were not quite satisfactory. They were desirous of seeing something, therefore, that should clear up their doubts - where there could be no opportunity for dispute. A comet, or lightning, or thunder, or sudden darkness, or the gift of food raining upon them, they supposed would be decisive. Possibly they referred in this to Moses. He had been with God amid thunders and lightnings, and he had given them manna - âbread from heavenâ to eat. They wished Jesus to show some miracle equally undoubted.
Matthew 12:39
An evil and adulterous generation - The relation of the Jews to God was often represented as a marriage contract - God as the husband, and the Jewish people as the wife.
See Isaiah 57:3; Hosea 3:1; Ezekiel 16:15. Hence, their apostasy and idolatry are often represented as adultery. This is the meaning, probably, here. They were evil, and unfaithful to the covenant or to the commandments of God - an apostate and corrupt people. There is, however, evidence that they were literally an adulterous people.
There shall no sign be given to it ... - They sought some direct miracle âfrom heavens.â Jesus replied that no âsuchâ miracle should be given. He did not mean to say that he would work no more miracles, or give no more evidence that he was the Christ, but he would give âno such miracleâ as they required. âHe would give one that ought to be as satisfactory evidence to them that he was from God, as the miraculous preservation of Jonah was to the Ninevites that he was divinely commissioned.â As Jonah was preserved three days by miracle and then restored alive, so he would be raised from the dead after three days. As on the ground of this preservation the Ninevites believed Jonah and repented, so, on the ground of his resurrection, the people of an adulterous and wicked generation ought to repent, and believe that he was from God. âThe sign of the prophet Jonasâ means the âsignâ or âevidenceâ which was given to the people of Nineveh that he was from God - to wit, that he had been miraculously preserved, and was therefore divinely commissioned. The word âJonasâ is the Greek way of writing the Hebrew word âJonah,â as âEliasâ is for âElijah.â
Matthew 12:40
For as Jonas was three days ... - See Jonah 1:17
This event took place in the Mediterranean Sea, somewhere between Joppa and Tarshish, when he was fleeing from Nineveh. It is said that the âwhaleâ seldom passes into that sea, and that its throat is too small to admit a man. It is probable, therefore, that a fish of the âshark kindâ is intended. Sharks have been known often to swallow a man entire. The fish in the book of Jonah is described merely as a âgreat fish,â without specifying the kind. It is well known that the Greek word translated whale, in the New Testament, does not of necessity mean a whale, but may denote a large fish or sea-monster of any kind. - Robinson, Lexicon.
Three days and three nights - It will be seen in the account of the resurrection of Christ that he was in the grave but two nights and a part of three days. See Matthew 18:6. This computation is, however, strictly in accordance with the Jewish mode of reckoning. If it had ânotâ been, the Jews would have understood it, and would have charged our Saviour as being a false prophet, for it was well known to them that he had spoken this prophecy, Matthew 27:63. Such a charge, however, was never made; and it is plain, therefore, that what was âmeantâ by the prediction was accomplished. It was a maxim, also, among the Jews, in computing time, that a part of a day was to be received as the whole. Many instances of this kind occur in both sacred and profane history. See 2 Chronicles 10:5, 2 Chronicles 10:12; Genesis 42:17-18. Compare Esther 4:16 with Esther 5:1.
In the heart of the earth - The Jews used the word âheartâ to denote the âinteriorâ of a thing, or to speak of being in a thing. It means, here, to be in the grave or sepulchre.
Matthew 12:41
The men of Nineveh - Nineveh was the capital of the Assyrian empire.
It was founded by Asshur, Genesis 10:11. It was situated on the banks of the River Tigris, to the northeast of Babylon. It was a city of vast extent, and of corresponding wickedness. It was 48 miles in circuit; its walls were 100 feet high and 10 thick, and were defended by fifteen hundred towers, each 200 feet in height. It contained in the time of Jonah, it is supposed, six hundred thousand inhabitants. The destruction of Nineveh, threatened by Jonah in forty days, was suspended, by their repentance, two hundred years. It was then overthrown by the Babylonians about six hundred years before Christ. During the siege a mighty inundation of the river Tigris took place, which threw down a part of the walls, through which the enemy entered, and sacked and destroyed the city. This destruction had been foretold one hundred and fifteen years before by Nahum Nahum 1:8; âBut with an overwhelming flood he will make an utter end of the place thereof:â and Nahum 2:6; âThe gates of the river shall be opened, and the palace shall be dissolved.â Its ruins have been lately discovered by Layard, and have contributed much to the establishment of the truth of Scripture history. Those remains are on the east side of the river Tigris, nearly opposite to the city of Mosul.
Shall condemn it - That is, their conduct, in repenting under the preaching of Jonah, shall condemn this generation. They, ignorant and wicked pagan, repented when threatened with âtemporalâ judgment by a mere man - Jonah; you, Jews, professing to be enlightened, though threatened for your great wickedness with eternal punishment âby the Son of Godâ - a far greater being than Jonah - repent not, and must therefore meet with a far heavier condemnation.
Matthew 12:42
The queen of the south - That, is, the Queen of Sheba, 1 Kings 10:1
Sheba was probably a city of Arabia, situated to the south of Judea. Compare the notes at Isaiah 60:6.
From the uttermost parts of the earth - This means simply from the most distant parts of the habitable world âthen known.â See a similar expression in Deuteronomy 28:49. As the knowledge of geography was limited, the place was, âin fact,â by no means in the extreme parts of the earth. It means that she came from a remote country; and she would condemn that generation, for she came âa great distanceâ to hear the wisdom of Solomon, but the Jews of that age would not listen to the wisdom of one âmuch greaterâ than Solomon, though present with them.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse 39. An evil and adulterous generation — Or, race of people; for so γενεα should be translated here, and in most other places in the Gospels; for our Lord, in general, uses it to point out the Jewish people. This translation is a key to unlock some very obscure passages in the evangelists.
Seeketh after a sign — Or, seeketh another sign, (εÏιζηÏει,) so I think this word should be translated. Our Lord had already given the Jews several signs; and here they desire sign upon sign.
Our Lord terms the Jews an adulterous race. Under the old covenant, the Jewish nation was represented as in a marriage contract with the Lord of hosts; as believers, in the new covenant, are represented as the spouse of Christ. All unfaithfulness and disobedience was considered as a breach of this marriage contract; hence the persons who were thus guilty are denominated adulterers and adulteresses. But, independently of this, there is the utmost proof, from their own writings, that in the time of our Lord they were most literally an adulterous race of people: for, at this very time, R. Jochanan ben Zacchai abrogated the trial by the bitter waters of jealousy, because so many were found to be thus criminal. See on John 8:3.
